Recently, it has become possible to perform rapid and precise detection/identification of bacteria relatively easily and conveniently by using a specific PCR primer.
To perform analysis using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) primer mentioned above (PCR method) when human feces, excreta, sludge, and the like are samples, it is necessary to extract DNA which is easily provided for PCR from the samples.
With prior art technologies, however, actual practice is that the extraction of such a nucleic acid has been performed manually. For the execution of analysis using the PCR primer with respect to samples such as human feces, excreta, sludge, and the like, it has conventionally been requested to automate the step of extracting a nucleic acid from the samples and perform the automated extraction step rapidly and precisely, but the development of such an automatic apparatus and an automated procedure has not been accomplished yet.
The present invention has been proposed in view of the foregoing problems of the prior art technologies. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automated nucleic acid extraction apparatus which extracts a nucleic acid from a specimen from which it has conventionally been considered difficult to extract a nucleic acid, such as feces or sludge, and thereby allows analysis using the PCR method.